It is easy to live one’s faith in the abstract. In an ever-changing and secularized world, however, many people of faith struggle to maintain and pass on their beliefs and morals in the society that often promotes other ideals. Add to it a city wracked by senseless and interminable violence and you have the material that a playwright committed to his community cannot resist.

Having long provided a beacon to help show young people a different path for their lives through his acting school and theater company, Anthony Bean is that playwright.

With his new gospel play, “Say Amen,” now receiving its premiere at the Anthony Bean Community Theater, Bean finds the distinct humanity beneath the big picture of those issues by creating real, completely drawn characters, each of whom react honestly to the situations faced.

Though the plot takes an unexpected turn from what one might expect from a traditional gospel music play, its currency and freshness make “Say Amen” one of the most fully absorbing and satisfying shows of the year.

Virtually ripped from the headlines, the play opens with the funeral of an innocent young man who was killed when caught in a random shooting at a local shopping center. The teen was the only son of a senior pastor of a New Orleans mega-church and his wife. Subsequent events following the funeral affect their lives, their marriage and their ministry and faith.

SAY AMEN

What: ABCT stages the premiere of the original gospel play written by artistic director Anthony Bean. Pastor Sterling Washington Jr., leader of a New Orleans mega-church, harbors a deep secret that challenges the core of his beliefs in the aftermath of a random shooting that kills his only son. Bean directs the cast, which includes Roscoe Reddix Jr. and Kim Che’re.

Where: Anthony Bean Community Theater, 1333 S. Carrollton Ave.

When: Performances at 8 Fridays and Saturdays, and at 3 Sundays, through July 13. There will be no performance on July 4.

Admission: $20; $18 for students and seniors. For information, call 862.7529 or visit the theater website.

Washington is played with heated passion by Roscoe Reddix Jr. He always makes an impression in his regular appearances on the ABCT stage, but this performance stood out as one of the strongest performances I’ve seen from Reddix. The pastor is a fiery preacher whose 25,000-member congregation stretches his reach beyond his pulpit. Bean has the character leading a national campaign as a strong advocate fighting same-sex marriage.

It is soon revealed that the reason that his son was at the distant mall, was to meet with his new-found first love – another teenage boy. That revelation leads to the core of the show, the struggle of Reddix’s character to move from a complacent certainty to facing the conflicted feelings brought about through his firm belief and grief for his lost son.

Gospel artist Kim Che’re gives a powerful performance through her understatement as Joan Washington, the pastor’s wife and grieving mother. While others buzz around her, she commands the stage with a quiet, pained stillness that conveys her grief more palpably than any outburst would. Any pent-up emotions come out in her singing – deeply moving renditions of such songs and hymns as “He Touched Me” and “I’ll See You Again.”

Bean elicits strong performances in several other key roles. Alphe Williams plays the Rev. Pedigrew, a colleague and longtime friend, as the flip side of Pastor Washington. He is a minister with an authoritative voice, but one who emphasizes his pastoral role.

His role also shows the degree to which Bean did his homework in writing the script. None of these characters are one-dimensional stereotypes. Pedigrew shows, for example, the truth that any pastor, rabbi, priest or bishop knows: that one of their greatest challenges is effectively ministering to a fellow clergyman.

As Damon, the boyfriend, Justin Alexander Brown conveys all the exuberance of young love and the sorrow of life ripped apart so violently. Though a young actor, he held the audience tightly as he related his story. In a brief scene, Ronald Kennedy appears as the dead boy. In what could have been maudlin and overdone, Bean made the moment effectively touching.

Nicole Washington and Dominique Randolph offer empathetic support as Joan’s sisters. Yolanda Cephus adds a touch of comic relief, as well as additional heart, as Mother Gibbs, a big, bossy church lady who shows compassion with her own style. Tiffany Hayes French creates the sweetest character onstage as Momma Rose, Damon’s loving grandmother.

The cast is rounded out well by Jessica Joyelle Matthews, Michelle Briscoe-Long, Dwight E. Clay and Bobby Johnson.

The set by Dane Rhodes evokes both the sanctuary of the church and the Washington home well. It is lit warmly by Vic Woodward, with subtle touches that fit the emotions being played out. Costumes by Ms. B added insight into each character. Emanuel Burke’s music was a steady asset throughout the performance.

In directing his own composition, Bean is to be credited for resisting moments of self-indulgence. He tells his story directly, giving it a momentum that carries the audience along into these lives. A couple of subplots add to the understanding of the characters rather than distract from the key action.

With layers of meaning, and recognition that resolutions are not always pat, simplistic ones, Bean has created a necessary show for our city, our culture and our times.